CENTCOM commander visits IDP camps in northeast Syria
"Our continuing multi-national effort to repatriate the residents of the camps to their countries of origin not only enhances security and stability in the region.”
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Lt. General Michael Kurilla, the Commander of the US Central Command, on Monday visited Syria’s al-Hol and al-Roj camps to discuss repatriation from the camps.
CENTCOM COMMANDER VISITS SYRIAN CAMPShttps://t.co/URHNRuPdvn @CJTFOIR #PeoplePartnersInnovation pic.twitter.com/VVy0qVtovN
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) August 23, 2023
"Our continuing multi-national effort to repatriate the residents of the camps to their countries of origin not only enhances security and stability in the region, but, more importantly, eases this humanitarian challenge," said General Kurilla, according to a press statement from CENTCOM
"The United States, SDF, and the Global Coalition remain focused and committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS while addressing the humanitarian and security challenges at camps in northeast Syria.”
During this trip, General Kurilla camp administrators observed first hand the current humanitarian conditions, continued improvements in camp security, and repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration efforts to return residents to their countries of origin.
Moreover, he met with officials of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and discussed the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS, repatriate and continue humanitarian assistance efforts in the region.
Read More: Iraqi delegation discusses repatriation of Iraqis from Syria's al-Hol camp
The most recent report from the Pentagon Lead Inspector General to the US Congress, covering the period from April 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023, noted that ISIS has been actively attempting to indoctrinate and recruit individuals residing in displaced persons camps.
Moreover, it said a total of 1,377 security personnel are currently active in al-Hol, including 112 female guards. The coalition's objective is to provide training for 3,000 security personnel in the al-Hol camp by the year 2024.
The outgoing Major General Matthew McFarlane, Commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), told reporters on Aug. 16 during an online briefing that “we’ve seen steady progress as we’ve assisted with guard or security force training for al-Hol.”
“We’ve also seen a decrease in violent attacks. We’re tracking zero murders this year compared to previous years where they were in the double digits. And so we’ve seen improvements, to include from over the last year going from over 53,000 to 48,000 this year.”
“So we’ve seen a drop in the numbers there because of many of our international partners repatriating, to include the Government of Iraq. And so we think that’s an important part of the long-term defeat of Daesh (ISIS), is addressing the conditions in that camp to ensure the needed humanitarian aid can be provided and that the security in that camp fosters the atmosphere to allow the residents of that camp to get the needed aid.”